Union suit.



. K. E. WHITE.

VENTGP WITNEQSES fit) UNITET) STATES PATENT OFFTCE.

KIRK I-I. WHITE, OF OSWEGO, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO MARSHALL S. ELY, 0F NEW YORK, N. Y.

UNION SUIT.

v Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Der. 3,1912.

Application filed March 16, 1912. `Serial No. 684,242.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known thatI i, KIRK Hi. 'in'rr, a citizen of the United States, residing at Oswego, county of Oswego, and State ot' New York, have invented certain ne and useful In'ilnovements in Union Suits, fully described and represented in the following specification and the accompanying drawh ings, forming a part of the same.

This invention relates to that class of underwear known as union suits, and the invention is especially intended for knitted underwear of this class, although appli 'able also to union suits of other l'naterial.

The especial objects of the invention are to provide an in'iproved union suit of that class having an elastic band extending across the back and preferably around the bod v so as to connect the shirt and drawers portions, by which a free' and better opening of the seat-tlap'shall be provided, and a garment better able to adapt itself to the ditt'erent positions of the bodv, so as to secure greater comfort and a bcttertit.

in the actannlmnying drawing forming a part of this specification a union suit elnbodying all the features of the invention in its preferred form is shown, and this construction will now be described and the features forming the invention then pointed out in the claim.

Referring to the drawing. which shows the union suit in rea'r plan, A is the shirt portion, B the drawers portion, C the elastic band connecting the t-wo, and Dithe seat* flap. The shirt portion A may be of any suitable form, being shown as a common short-sleeve garment. The drawers portion B is preferably, and as shown, a closed crotch garment, having the posterior yopening and flap D extending from a point near the waist line, to a point at or near the crotch, but with no openingr extendingI through the crotch from front to rear. the present inventionconsisting. in part, in an improvement on such closed crotch garment. The flap l) is shown as secured in closed position by button l.

The elasti l band C connecting the parts A, l, extends about the body, and is formed ot' knit material, with the wales running trans\crscl)Y to, or around, the garment, as

shown, so as to secure vertical elasticity, which 1s not secured by the parts A. B, even -when-made of'linitI material,l as the wales run vertically or longitudinally of the body. The band C, on the front of the garment, may be arranged in any suitable manner, being shown in dotted lines as extending directly around the body and narrower than fio the rear portion, as usual. On the back of the garn'ient, however, the lower edge of the band C is inclined upward from the opposite sides of the garment, so that the central portion of the band is higher up on the back GS than the side portions. This inclining may be secured b v straight edges and seam, or by`A` similarly" curving the bottom edge of the band.

Important advantages are secured b v tlms Te forming the elastic band, in that a longer posterior opening and4 fiap is provided for, these extending, as shown,ito the bottom edge of the elastic band at the middle, or high, portion of the latter, so that a larger and freer opening of the seat portion by the lap is secured. It is found in use, also, that such elastic band is much preferable to one extending straight across the back, as the band stretches up and in from the sides of S0 the garment when'the user bends forward, so as to give greater elasticity and comfort, and a better appearance. A

IVhile the invention has been shown as applied in connection with a special closed .crotch and seat-flap construction, it will be understood that the invention, broadly considered, 1s apphcable also to union suits of other construct-ion, including open crotch suits. 90

. What- I claim is A union suit having an elastic band extending across the back with its bottom edge inclined upward f"om the sides of the garment to the middle o the back and having a 95 

